Daughters Of The Bride(55)
“The color’s right, too,” Rachel added. “Well within the palette.”
“One to consider.” Maggie turned in a slow circle, then stopped and pointed out the window. “Oh, my.”
They all looked. Courtney moved to get a better view, then felt her mouth drop open when she saw a familiar blue Bentley pull up at a red light by the store.
She wasn’t sure what was more eye-catching—the convertible with the top down, the handsome man driving it or the blonde poodle sitting next to him in the passenger seat.
As if sensing their attention, Quinn glanced in their direction, then waved. Pearl turned as well, showing off her pink, sparkly Doggles.
“You know,” Maggie said slowly, “it takes a very secure man to pull that off, but damn if he doesn’t do it.”
Courtney had to agree. Only Quinn, she thought with a smile as the light turned green and he drove away.
Maggie walked over to the mirror, where they all studied the gown.
“It’s a contender,” she said after they’d discussed various ways to bustle the train for the reception. “Would I be able to buy the sample?”
“Of course. We’d have it cleaned, then fitted to you. I’ll put it aside for you, but you can’t buy it. Not on the first day.” She smiled. “Now, you must all be exhausted. Let’s break for lunch. I have a few more gowns for you to try on after you rest for a bit.”
The store had a small patio, where a table was set up. There were box lunches offering different salads, along with some cut-up fruit and cheese. Maggie put on a white terry-cloth robe Betty provided and joined them.
“That last dress was the best,” Rachel said as she passed out the lunches. “What did you think, Mom?”
“It’s beautiful, but I’m not sure it’s the one.”
“On the shows I watch, all the brides say they know when they’re trying on the right dress,” Courtney said. “If they’re right, you have to wait for the feeling.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m too old for that kind of thing to happen.”
“Mom, you’re not old,” Rachel said. “You look amazing and you’re in love. You’ll know the dress when you find it.”
“You’re right. It’s too early to be discouraged.” Maggie picked up a fork. “Courtney, I have a few more ideas for the wedding.”
“Of course you do. Go ahead, frighten me. I can take it.”
“Nothing that should be scary.” Maggie paused, then grinned. “All right, that might not be true. I was thinking we could get a hot air balloon to take people over the ocean.”
“Like parasailing?” Sienna asked. “What if people are afraid of heights or get motion sickness?”
“Then they don’t have to go.”
Courtney met Sienna’s gaze and nodded. “I’m with you. I think that might be a bit much. But if you’re looking for a way to make the day special, what about a different kind of guest book? Instead of having people simply sign a book, we have cards made.”
She held up her hands so her index fingers and thumbs formed a circle about six inches across. “They’re about this big. We’d use a good quality card stock that we have cut into a jigsaw puzzle. People write their messages on the puzzle, break it up into pieces and put them in an envelope for you and Neil to assemble later. It’s fun for them and fun for you.”
Maggie clapped her hands together. “I love that. Yes. I want that for sure. What else? Oh, did I tell you I want to use that photo table runner at the wedding?”
“Actually, the place where I got it can also make it as your runner, so you could use it down the center aisle for the wedding.”
“Perfect,” Maggie said. “Now, what about a video confessional booth? People could share their deepest, darkest secrets.”
The sisters exchanged looks.
“Maybe not,” Rachel told her. “There’s a little too much drinking at events like this.”
“I know,” Maggie said with a grin. “That’s the best part.”
Lunch passed quickly. Sienna listened more than she spoke as the others made plans for the wedding. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested so much as she was terrified of having the conversation shift to her engagement. She still hadn’t come to terms with what had happened and she sure didn’t want to talk about it.
Maggie sighed. “Neil’s a good one. I got lucky when I met him.” Her expression was thoughtful. “I’ll admit I almost didn’t go out with him because he’s shorter than me. Isn’t that silly?”